James Gallagher, a health and science reporter for the
BBC News wrote an informative article about four girls who received lab-grown
vaginas. These four girls were born with vaginal aplasia which he explains as
the vagina not forming properly while in the mother’s womb.
Basically the pelvis was scanned to make measurements
for a good fit and a biopsy of the vaginal wall to grow a vagina that will have
the same tissue. Normal levels of vaginal function were reported. Two of the
girls had the vagina connected to the uterus and in theory are capable of
becoming pregnant. The lab-grown vaginas were implanted eight years ago while
they were in their teens.
There was not very much scientific reasoning in the
article so it leads me to believe the reason he wrote the article is not for a
scientist’s benefit. News companies are a great middle ground between people
with little scientific knowledge and the recent hard to understand scientific
advancements.
The article closed focusing on the future benefits of
being able to grow cells. It explained approximately how far away commercial
use is from clinical trials. The benefits would be used for aesthetic and
practical medical purposes. At the bottom of the article there are links to
related issues if you are interested in finding out more about growing tissues.
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